The death toll from clashes between Turkish police and pro-Kurdish protesters across the country has risen to 37.
Speaking to reporters in the capital Ankara on Friday, Interior Minister Efkan Ala said 31 people were killed and 351 others injured in the protests that resumed for the fourth consecutive day in various cities, the Hurriyet Daily News reported.
“This spiral of violence should immediately be stopped,” Ala said, adding, “Everyone should do their part to put an end to these incidents. We should all stand in solidarity with each other.”
Over 1,000 protesters have been detained in 35 provinces, he noted.
Hours later, Turkish news agencies reported that six more injured people, including two police officers, died in hospitals.
Police used tear gas and plastic bullets to disperse the protesters who were trying to march to Istanbul’s Taksim Square on Friday. Several people were detained in the crackdown.
The protesters are outraged at the Turkish government for its stance on the ongoing fighting in Syria’s Kurdish town of Kobane.
They accuse Ankara of inaction over the crimes committed by the ISIL Takfiri terrorists by preventing Turkish Kurds to join Kobane’s citizens in their fight against the militants.
The ISIL terror group launched its assault on Kobane three weeks ago, forcing 200,000 mainly Kurdish residents to flee into neighboring Turkey.
The terrorists have committed widespread acts of violence, including mass executions, abductions, torture and forcing women into slavery in the areas they have seized in Iraq and Syria.